22 October − 4 November 2023 / Durdan and Ray Gallery in Los Angeles

Exhibition Searching for Lost Words, curated by Lenka Sýkorová and featuring two visual artists from the Faculty of Art and Design, Jiří Kovanda and Daria Lukianenko, will be held at Durdan and Ray Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition is scheduled to take place from 22 October to 4 November 2023. The participation in the event is supported by the internal grant of the Faculty of Art and Design (FUD), Programme to Support the Strategic Management 2023 in the field of education, the Gestor and the Short-Term Mobility Go and See for the year 2023, IDU.

Exhibitors: Jana Bernartová (cz), Jorin Bossen (ua), Petr Dub (cz), Roni Feldman (us), Brian Thomas Jones (us), Jiří Kovanda (cz), (pedagog fud ujep), Karolina Lizurej (pl), Darja Lukjanenko (ua), (doktorandka fud ujep), Jan Pfeiffer (cz), Hanna Råst (fi)

Curator: Lenka Sýkorová (cz), (lecturer at FUD UJEP)

The present can be defined as an uncertain, rapidly changing reality. We navigate its experiences simultaneously in the physical and virtual worlds. We live in a time when images once again become the most legible conveyors of information across cultures and continents. And our parallel digital identity brings a host of challenges on how to present ourselves and others. The present brings into focus the aesthetics of dystopia, myths, and the search for lost worlds. Self-identification is an increasingly complex process, and the quest for new cultural patterns often leads us to the paths of alternative worlds, referencing the contemporary aesthetics of seemingly endless fantasy series or neo-romanticism in contemporary art.

The exhibiting artists reflect the uncertainty of the present and a certain quest for lost worlds, where every shadow can be understood in the context of Plato’s ideas as a reflection of the absolute truth of reality. The societal challenges of recent years have taught us to pay greater attention to daily events, to moments of slowing down, and to fully perceive the here and now. Drawing, as an intimate gesture, is perceived by many artists as the most direct medium for expressing experiences with a specific sense of attentiveness to both major and minor histories unfolding. Drawing provides a space where you can slow down. You can also contemplate through drawing. The sketch of an idea has accompanied artists since time immemorial. By combining mind, eye, and hand, they can capture the world around us. The fusion of thought and drawing is the foundation for the creation of the curatorial project.

Photos: video sequences from Hanny Råst, In my arms I hold the ruins, on my tongue, the scattered recollections, 2023.